


M'era - A Story from the Imperial Times (HIATUS)

by MissErso93



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Art Enthusiast Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Book: The Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Chimaera Crew (Star Wars), Death Star, Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon, Galactic Republic, Gen, Healing, Imperial Officers (Star Wars), Mentioned Darth Vader, Mentioned Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Eli Vanto, POV Female Character, POV Male Character, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, POV Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Political Alliances, Political Expediency, Politics, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Pre-Rogue One, Pre-Star Wars: A New Hope, Pre-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Pre-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Psychological Trauma, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars References, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2020-10-29 12:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20796569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissErso93/pseuds/MissErso93
Summary: From the command deck of his star destroyer Chimaera, Grand Admiral Thrawn sends an officer to investigate the reasons of a delay in their departure from the unpleasing planet they were at the moment.Meanwhile, at the destroyer's medical bay, a girl without memory wakes up and finds herself surrounded by nurses and medical droids that try to keep her on her stretcher, but a surviving instinct forces her to leave the place.The girl's lost story might be used by the Chiss officer to help the Empire reach one more planet before the Rebels.





	1. Nursery

**Author's Note:**

> Finding the appropriate tags was the most difficult part of this story lol But that's because I decided not to set specific dates and locations. However, it's understood that it happened some time after Chiss officer Thrawn got his rank of Grand Admiral, maybe in his first months in this new position. The name of the "unpleasing" planet is unknown, so you can imagine any planet you want. The names of people and locations to be mentioned in the future might be canon or not, but don't worry because I'll explain everything through the notes.
> 
> \- Triggering content: YES. Tags will change as I post the next chapters. For now I choose not to use A.W., but this story contain sensitive matter like violence and abusive relationships. Though there's NO GRAPHIC content, I recommend you to think well before reading it ;)

_“A trillion memories last in_

_Space and time forever more_

_I just wanted, I just needed to be loved”_

_(Muse, The Globalist)_

The lights pointed to her eyes were so intense that she imagined a new kind of blindness fell on them, after all the time spent in darkness.

She tried to raise her hand to protect them, but the member felt heavier than she remembered. She tried once again, and again, until she finally saw her fingers in front of her face, black against the light.

She tried to move, and realized the heaviness was not limited to her hand: her arms, her legs, everything was glued to the platform where she was lying. An abyss, or depression, seemed to settle on her chest, pressing her lungs and ceasing her heart’s work. At least there was no sign of pain.

Little by little, her eyes were getting used to the lighting system, and her eyes started to capture the sounds of that place, sounds that warned her she was not alone. She tried to look at her surroundings, but she found out that the same heaviness of her body would stop her from moving her neck.

Distant conversations came in fragments, from all corners. At first, they sounded like whispers coming from a corridor or a room nearby, but soon they got louder, and regular steps joined them.

Suddenly, the people who were speaking got so close that she could see them surrounding the platform where she was, and some phrases became clear.

\- Her skin is freezing... Please, bring something to warm her up...

\- Her blood pressure needs to be normalized immediately...

\- She didn’t seem to break or fracture any bone...

\- She can hardly breathe... If she keeps that way, she will pass out again...

\- Quick with the serum!... Hold her arm... She can’t move while we...

She didn’t realize the lack of touch until she noticed her arm being firmly held by at least four hands; in the middle of it, in the front of her elbow, a pointed object was pressed until it penetrated her skin; a lancinating pain pulsed across her veins and spread all over her body, following the course of the injected serum, and disappeared as soon as all the points were reached.

The resulting sensations were so many that convinced her that her body was dead before feeling them.

The depression on her chest was suddenly taken away; the lungs were filled with cold air; her heartbeats echoed on her ribs; the numbness in her limbs was replaced by a tingling that burned under her skin, from the sole of her feet to her scalp, and the hurt of countless scratches showed up at once; her arms and legs became so light that she lost control over them when she tried to move them and bumped into someone at her left side; the bright lights stopped hurting her eyes, and then they gained focus .

This is how she found out she was in a nursery, her stretcher surrounded by latex gloves and masks that would show only the eyes of the people wearing them, eyes which were fixed on her, at the same moment when the gloves approached to contain her. Right behind them, tall individuals, non-humans, were gesticulating as if they were leading the process. Droids. The colors of the room began to stand out.

She was still struggling, and their hands would follow her anywhere she would look, but once she found herself sitting in the stretcher, they couldn’t do anything to keep her in her place. A sequence of punches, pushes and kicks eliminated two or three of her adversaries, ad she took the chance.

Her feet took her away from the stretcher before people or droids could even react.


	2. Delay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chimaera's crew is anxious to leave the planet, but a delay in their leaving starts to annoy everyone, including Commander Eli Vanto. Soon, he finds out the Grand Admiral sent an officer to investigate the situation, but something unexpected happens before his return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, to everyone who read this story: my apologies for taking this long to update it! I've been busy with my other Star Wars projects in both English and Portuguese all these months, so I had no time for this one. I'll be translating all the chapters I've wrote for M'Era's story and post them here as soon as I can.

The delay was not too serious, but the mystery about its reasons started to bother Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Standing at the platform before the transparisteel viewport, the Chiss was waiting for the officer he sent to investigate the situation to return. He was quieter than usual; last time his voice was heard at the bridge was when he gave his orders to the officer. As soon as the man left his presence, the Grand Admiral turned his back to the room’s interior and fixed his attention on the outside.

The sound of the officer’s steps disappeared behind the bridge’s main door, and the silence that replaced it left the crew even more tense. Whispers became rare between Lieutenants and Captains, and nervous fingers typed on panels their latest given commands.

Eli Vanto was not less agitated than the others. He knew better than them that this delay could not be caused by normal circumstances. All the liftoff protocol should have been followed by now; even the simplest of the orders should have been respected. All of that was unforgivable. And Thrawn’s silence… That he has his thoughts on something, it was obvious. The possibility of having him exasperated was worrisome. The intrigued Thrawn was better to deal with than the impatient one, even when none of them would make violent gestures or raise their voice.

Not knowing was the worst thing of all.

Eli didn’t know what was occupying the Grand Admiral’s mind; he didn’t know when the officer will come back with answers, as well as he didn’t know if they will be satisfying to his commander. Another thing that was making him annoyed was that, by the situation, no one had ways to know when they will finally leave that horrible planet behind.

The weather was so unpleasing that, even not reaching the Chimaera’s interiors, it could be sensed when one looked through the large viewport. The arid and gray landscape, little wooded, was punished by a southern wind that created whirls across the flat fields that, according to the locals, were green at other times of the year. From where he was at the platform, looking at them from the high hangar’s location, Eli found it hard to believe; it looked like the regions haven’t seen a drop of rain in years. Fortunately, the time they would spend in that place was calculated with maximum precision…

Precision that was lost by that _kriffing_ delay.

He must had sighed too high or twisted his lips without noticing, because Thrawn turned to his side as he had read his thoughts.

Eli checked his own posture when he sensed the reddish eyes of his superior on him. There was no need to be discreet about what he thought when he was in his presence, in fact, but the young officer was no fool; among the imperials, there was no place to be one. And the reasons that led him to be careful had less to do with the Grand Admiral’s person than with his own imperial education.

It had been a long time since the fact that Thrawn was a Chiss had any effect on Eli Vanto, as it still seemed to happen with other officers, but he comprehended his colleagues’ feelings. Though his people were among the ones called _near humans_, Thrawn would catch attentions wherever he was: counteracting with the whiteness of his uniform, all of his skin was as blue as a Pantoran’s; his hair had a dark variant of this color, almost black in the half-light; to further highlight the contrasts, his eyeballs were of a bloody, vibrant red, and on them the pupils were not much more than two small black points.

Among the first words that came to the personnel’s mouths to describe his appearance and conditions when they found him in the wilderness was _savage_. As time passed, his learning and adaptation to human manners – imperial manners – diminished this impression; however, it never completely ceased to exist. In consideration of the many qualities of his commander and friend, Eli always tried to avoid the word even in his thoughts, but there were some moments when it was the Chiss himself who make this task difficult.

Eli only came back to reality when he heard Thrawn’s voice calling his name.

\- Sir?

\- Would you mind sharing the direction of your thoughts, Commander Vanto?

\- I... – he stopped before he started to stutter – It is this delay... It bothers me as much as the others... and you, Sir, of course.

The other gave a brief smile as he looked the landscape outside.

\- I believe that all of us have valid reasons for our urge to leave this planet as soon as possible. But I am less anxious about this than interested on what our officer will have to say when he come back – and in an almost confidential tone – If he gets here first.

Eli tried not to turn his neck with much surprise or wide his eyes at what he heard, with no success.

It was with the same astonishment that he turned to the crew when he heard a commotion near the panels. The officers in the corridors among them were gesticulating, and some were even screaming, as everyone was trying to contain someone who none of them was sure about how they get there, and was now running across the bridge as fast as a hunted animal; some officers got out of their way without thinking twice; the others, trying to stop the invader, were pushed against the panels.

In a heartbeat, the person seemed to disappear in one of the corners, far from the platform where Thrawn and Eli were standing. Some officers remained in their places, looking suspiciously, as others took some hesitant steps toward the gap, unsure about what was supposed to be done.

The bridge’s front door was opened from outside and a pair of Stormtroopers entered quickly through it, led by the officer sent by the Grand Admiral, who walked with wide steps toward his superior; his face was red, and on his forehead the glow of his sweat was visible from a considerable distance.

He was halfway when he noticed that Thrawn had left the platform and was walking to the place where the person was hiding.


	3. Dead Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girl who escaped the medical bay runs through the destroyer's corridors and manages to reach the bridge, even though she doesn't seem to know what it means. An officer and two Stormtroopers are after her, and nobody knows what to do about her. Nobody except for one person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say this time guys, except that I have one more completed chapter to post here. Then, I'll have to focus on writing the next ones and translate them, which will take a while since I'm also occupied with my Milicent series (part III is now available here)

Gray.

It was the only thing her eyes were capable to see, no matter where they looked. The cold floor under her wounded, bare feet were running; the walls full of doors and panels to which she didn’t have the access code; the ceiling, with its white lights almost as stunning as those ones of the medical bay; the uniforms of all those people walking in pair, their steps as synchronized as the droids’.

All gray, clear and tidy. So different from her.

Here and there, soldiers with white armors, more polished than the floor, their boots stepping with firmness and strength; their posture was the one of who waits for an order; their weapons were ready to be used. Most probably against her. She didn’t like them, and perhaps they knew. Then they were ready to finish her.

She quickened her pace.

The idea of having those soldiers pointing their weapons against her back didn’t intimidate her, and she kept running. She turned around a corner and didn’t hear the blasters.

The new corridor didn’t differ from the previous one, and she thought she had run in a circle. But the possibility didn’t stop her to go ahead. The further she felt from the medical bay and its occupants, the better. She hated doctors, thought she couldn’t remember why.

Other similar corridors showed in her way after that, and other ones, until the wounds under her feet became so painful that she was forced to slow her pace.

A door – the larger door she saw until then – was opened while she was looking.

There was a soldier standing in each side of it, and many people dressed in gray (some of them in green) passed by it, entering or leaving the room.

A scream was heard from the bottom of the corridor through which she just came.

\- There she is! Do not let her escape!

It was a man in his gray uniform, with two soldiers behind him. He ran as he screamed. She didn’t wait for him to approach; she crossed the large door before he could say anything else.

The room where she entered had the largest group of people that she saw since she left the medical bay. Also there, everyone was wearing green or gray clothing; the ones who wore green were a minority. They were among countless panels with colorful lights that blinking in unison.

The people seemed shocked to see her there. Some of them tried to hold her, but she managed to get rid of them and go ahead. Other were screaming for someone – the soldiers, perhaps – to do something about it. But no one was willing to do anything.

Suddenly, there was no other corridor or door to be crossed.

Panic then took over her, and the floor felt colder than she had the chance to notice since her feet touched it for the first time. She found a gap under a panel at some corner of the room and hid there, waiting to be found or forgotten.

From the place she was, she could see little of what was happening in the room, but the echoes of everything that was being said came to her loud enough to be understood.

At some point, the voices started to fade. From a conflicting talking they turned into disconcerted whispers, and finally disappeared, giving space to only one voice, low and controlled, as the voice of someone who was not only accustomed to give orders, but to be obeyed as well.

\- Everybody, out.

That was all the voice said, and soon the sound of countless steps was heard, walking away from the panels and toward the door. The hissing noise of the silver plates that formed it was heard during its opening, and a long time after that, when it closed at the last officer’s back. She shrank further under the panel’s table. It was clear that the person who ordered the exit of all the others didn’t include himself in that exodus. Finding that crowded room was not her best experience since she left the doctors’ presence, but being alone there with that person frightened her more than she’d like to admit.

A shadow appeared on the floor just before the place where she was, stretching until it reached the wall ahead as the stranger approached, his steps slow, calculated; from his side, there seemed to be no hurry to solve that.

The voice’s owner stopped; she held her breath, her arms around her knees; now, all the space touched by the lights needed to be avoided as a dangerous thing.

But she couldn’t make herself invisible forever.

The stranger turned around the panel, and finally found her.


	4. The Strange Conversation With the Blue Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girl reaches the bridge and hides under a panel, causing such confusion among the officers that nobody knows what to do. Like a wild animal, she's angry and afraid, but Grand Admiral Thrawn knows something about dealing with such cases.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole situation in this chapter was intended to be one of those "only that specific person could solve it in a proper way" kind of situation. I understand the Empire used to give its officers such an strict education that fails to prepare them to unexpected events like the one described here. The limitations of the imperial training when it comes to unsought circumstaces wouldn't go unnoticed to Thrawn, who can be called the father of anticipation lol
> 
> Also I hope the switchs between all these POVs don't get you confused XD Everything here is built to make sense, I promise

\- There you are.

Those were his first words when he laid his eyes on her.

\- Would you mind being a good girl and coming to the illuminated area? – with his hand, he indicated the direction he wanted her to follow – It will make the conversation more pleasant for both of us.

She couldn’t reply, nor move.

While the stranger stood out of her sight, she had no doubts about the dread she felt. Now that she could see him with no obstacles, she was not sure about what to feel or what to think.

That man was not like anyone she’d ever met before. First, he was perhaps the only person there who wasn’t wearing anything green or gray: his uniform was entirely white, as white as the lights of the medical bay. But his clothing was not the only thing to have an unusual color: his skin was, as far as it was possible to verify, blue. However, there were no humans with blue skin. And stranger than his skin were his eyes, two dots as red as fire, fixed on her, waiting for a reply.

Finding herself unable to react, she curled her body even more, seeking for protection under the panel. She didn’t know if she could trust him, nor the idea of finding out what he would do if she left her place seemed interesting for her.

But she ended up knowing it anyway.

He spotted a place on the floor, something like a stair, and sit there, from where it wouldn’t be difficult to observe and talk to her.

\- You must have walked too long to come here, right?

She nodded, though she actually had run to get there. That man must should know that place well; perhaps he could tell the exact route taken by her.

\- Do you what this place is?

A vigorous negative nod from her head.

\- It is a spaceship. A star destroyer – he explained – Its name is _Chimaera_. A curious name, don’t you think?

Now, a positive nod. She didn’t know what that name meant; still she found it beautiful.

\- A destroyer – he added – Is a big and scary place when you don’t know where to go inside it.

She could only agree. That place – _destroyer_, as he called it – looked like a big city made of metal.

\- But, look, you are such a lucky girl. You have come right to the command deck. The place where people are oriented inside a destroyer.

She thought she should have said something in response, and she even made an effort to think of a sentence at least, but her mind was a blank page. She understood everything she heard but found herself uncapable of replying or even showing she was following the conversation. Since her period at the medical bay, that was the bigger source of her problems. Until then, everyone that she met acted precipitated, desperate, impatient. Will this man get tired of not having answers too? Or what if he was not actually interested in anything she could say and instead all of those questions were just a way he found to gain time for the doctors to reach the room and take her back? Did everyone leave as he ordered, or was there someone who was left behind to capture her as soon as she left her refuge?

There were so many questions and not a single answer. How would she manage to get them if she couldn’t say much more than two words?

Her eyes started to burn, and soon she was caught crying convulsively.

She never found out how much time passed between the first tears and the last sobs, but it didn’t go unnoticed to her that he didn’t interrupt her or show any sign of exasperation. He kept his imperturbable manners, as if he was sure that it will be finished soon and then was content to wait. It was when she realized he will stay there until she decided to leave the gap.

It was also when she understood she didn’t have to be afraid of him.

\- It is scary, as I said – he restarted as soon as he regained her attention – But I can help you, if you allow me.

He stood up and offered his hand as he spoke, and for the first time she saw him smile.

He let herself move a little far from the panel’s cover and, after much hesitation, she stretched her hand. Her trembling fingers touched the stranger’s blue palm, that closed around them with an unexpected warmth, convincing her to finally leave the hideout.

On her feet, free from the need of keep running and without a dreadful number of stimuli to disturb her already harmed senses, she at last understood what kind of place was that where she was.

The bridge was larger than it looked when she crossed it in her hurry. The lights there were not as intense as any of the corridors through which she passed, but then her eyes had time to get used to them. Without all those people crowding her vision and trying to grab her, the passages and panels could be observed with no difficulty. The silence, only interrupted by the beeps from the computers and some droids working among them, was new and welcome.

She turned to the blue skinned stranger, who was looking at her with the contained curiosity of a doctor who bumps into an exceptional case; but if he was a doctor, he must be too different from those of the medical bay.

\- I congratulate you for your bravery – he said with the same compassion as before, while still holding her hand – Now, we need to introduce ourselves. My name will sound a little complicated for your ears, so I’d like you to call me Thrawn. I am the Grand Admiral in charge of this star destroyer. Now, can you tell me your name?

A name? Of course she had a name. But why couldn’t she remember it? How was that even possible?

Her lips trembled before the words could cross them.

\- I don’t... – she then hid her face in her hands.

Then a hand was laid in her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, he spoke with softness:

\- It is alright. We cannot blame you. You went through many troubles to get here. They must have worn you out. But now, I’d like you to come with me. There is someone I want you to know.

Her eyes widened at that.

\- Not a doctor! Not a doctor!

Her voice sounded louder and clearer than expected, but he didn’t lose his temper.

\- Fear not. He is not a doctor.

Grand Admiral Thrawn walked her away from the panel, but they didn’t leave the bridge’s grounds. Her feet were hurting by the wounds and the tiredness, and she felt glad for not having to walk for too long: soon they reached the platform before the viewport, and she was so impressed by the amplitude of the transparisteel that only a moment later she noticed a third person standing near them, observing them with a respectful attention.

He and the alien had some kind of agreement between themselves that intrigued her: Thrawn didn’t need to make any gesture or say anything for the man at the platform to know the right moment to approach.

When she thought that he might be one of the people at the bridge by moment of her arrival and that he might be left behind to take her back to the doctors, fear threatened to overwhelm her. But a single look at him was enough for her to dismiss such idea.

The man was Young, maybe younger than the Grand Admiral, but if there was an efficient method of age comparison between people of different races, it was unknown to her; the differences between the two species were even more notable and, since he was human like all the others she saw on board, the greatest of them relied on the physical appearance: his skin, darker than her own and the other people she met, resembled the skin of someone who spent most of his life under the sunlight; his hair was brown, and so were his eyes; something in the aspect of his lips indicated that, if it wasn’t for the circumstances (or even his personal habits), he could smile with great ease; his whole persona was gifted with an unexplainable factor that turned him reliable and receptive when no effort.

He greeted her with a gentle nod, and she decided she liked him.

Thrawn’s voice was heard at last, mediating the first contact between them.

\- This is my friend, Commander Eli Vanto – and looking at him – This, my dear, is the man who saved your life.


	5. Bandages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once she accepts to leave her improvised refuge and talk to the Grand Admiral, the girl is introduced to Commander Eli Vanto, the man who saved her life. She is still afraid of being taken back to the medical bay, but trusting him is the only choice she has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if I should write something like this chapter but well, Eli is the cutest thing in the whole Galaxy and we can't accept opinions in contrary so here it is XD

She forgot about her suspicions, her exhaustion and the pain in her feet with what she heard about that man. She could barely look into his eyes. However, she found solace in the fact that she wasn’t the only one affected by the strangeness of the connection established between them due to the Grand Admiral’s introductions: he seemed as embarrassed as her and started to blush at what he heard.

She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say something or if it would be prudent of her to wait for him to speak first, as much as she didn’t know if she could think of something to say. She was there, alive, because of his measures to ensure that. But why? And how?

The answers came before she had the time to ask for them.

\- I found you near the hangar just after leaving the destroyer – Commander Vanto explained – You were unconscious and hurt. I called the nurses and told them to take you to the medical bay and take care of you until you wake up – then he glanced at the other man and his blush seemed to intensify – I instructed them to alert me, for my intention was to see you as soon as you regained your conscience – he smiled – But you were faster.

She didn’t want to smile; she wasn’t sure if that was a jest, but it also didn’t sound like a compliment. Suddenly, the possibility of returning to the doctors’ hold supplanted her ideas, and she couldn’t contain her agony.

She tried to justify her escape.

\- There, it was... I was... afraid... – she crossed her arms around her body and stared at the lifeless landscape on the other side of the transparisteel.

Eli Vanto’s voice stayed soft.

\- I know. I am not accusing you. Your fear is understandable.

He turned his attention to Thrawn, who remained in silence the entire conversation.

\- She needs an appropriate place to rest, Sir. It is my duty to take these measures personally.

\- I see – the other officer replied – Do it.

Eli put his hand on her shoulder and guided her toward the bridge’s exit. Differently from what happened when Thrawn found her, she offered no resistance; she didn’t know where he would take her to, but she found him uncapable of forcing her back to where she came from.

The end of the conversation felt unreal to her. Those two men spoke like people who maintained the formalities due to professional reasons but didn’t depend on them to understand each other.

When they were close to the bridge’s door, the Grand Admiral called Eli.

\- The crew is at the door. Act with discretion.

He nodded; then, turned to her.

\- You don’t have to be afraid.

She nodded her head as to gain courage, though the sweat in her hands and her fast heartbeats were enough to tell it wasn’t courage what she was feeling. He pressed the panel beside the door, which split in two plates, and they found themselves under the looks of the already expected crowd. All the officers stared at them, suspicious, curious, but not a single word was heard.

As soon as she saw the first people, her feet stuck to the floor and refused to take her any further. She grabbed Eli’s arm and tried to hide behind him. Instead of reprehending her or forcing her to walk, he put his arms around the girl and kept her as close as possible.

\- It is alright – he said while trying to make her move – Come, I will take you to a quieter place.

Finally, she followed him. She didn’t look around while they walked away from the entrance, though the eyes of all those people seemed to burn her skin.

***

It was only after being too far from the crowd that she found it safe to pay attention to her surroundings. The corridor in which they were now was empty; not even a droid was beeping there. With a low moan, she slowed her pace.

\- What is it? – Eli stopped just ahead, still holding her hand.

\- My feet...

\- Your feet? What’s wrong with them? Are they hurting?

She nodded.

He knelt before her while the girl leaned her hand on his shoulder and examined her soles. Nothing was said about the seriousness of the injuries, but his expression showed not so pleasant perspectives.

Before she asked about it, he stood up.

\- We are almost there. Let me help you.

Eli instructed her to pass her arm around his neck and, when she did it, he lifted her in his arms. She was given no time to protest; once she thought about saying something, her feet throbbed in pain. She then accepted she couldn’t count on them this time and didn’t question the received help.

***

There was more space in that room that its narrow door suggested to anyone who looked from outside. The walls, the floor and the ceiling followed the color pattern that dominated every corner inside the destroyer, and the objects were disposed in a simple arrangement, in order to facilitate any tasks the occupant wanted to accomplish; not a single item could be taken as superfluous. Thanks to this organization, Eli didn’t take too long to find what he needed to take care of her injuries.

She was waiting, sitting on the bed, her hands resting on her lap, her feet on tip toes in order to keep the soles away from the floor. She considered putting them upon the bed, but Elli made a negative gesture. She waited to see what he would do with the silver box in his hands.

He knelt before her and put the box on the floor, at his side. He then opened it and started to select the necessary items, talking to her in the meantime.

\- These injuries are not pretty at all – he smiled – Well, no injury is, of course. They will need proper care until they completely heal, which might include avoiding frequent contact with the floor.

When everything was ready to be used, he took her right foot in his hand, grabbed a wet towel and started to clean her sole. That he worked with delicate hands she knew for certain, but it didn’t prevent her skin to feel the burning of the substance in the towel; she hissed and moved her feet away from his touch. He raised his hands.

\- I’m sorry! – slowly, he lowered his hands and put the towel aside, on the open box – Forgive me. It was not my intention to cause you more pain. But I need to help you with these injuries.

She wasn’t inclined to collaborate. Her skin was still burning, and she kept her foot as far as possible from the floor, one hand grabbing her leg with all its strength, the other’s fingers clenching around the bed’s sheets. Her resistance, nevertheless, didn’t cause him to lose his temper. He reached the hand on her leg, speaking with all the softness he could:

\- Listen. I know it is not pleasant. I know it is hurting. But if you want me to help you, you will have to trust me.

Everything suggested that she would refuse the offering, but soon her fingers loosened their grip on the sheets, her leg changed back to its previous position, and the hand that was holding it accepted his touch. When she looked at him, she saw he was smiling.

\- Thank you. So, where did we stop?

Still apprehensive, she let him keep with the work. From time to time, a hissing escaped from her mouth, and she curled; in reply, Eli moved away the towel for a moment and gave her some time; then, he restarted the cleaning. he did it in both her feet, then he spread some kind of pomade and put them in bandages.

The burning on her skin diminished; after a few minutes, it was almost gone.


End file.
